Win, Lose, And Grow

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Do you remember this commercial?

Passiton.com

When this commercial came out a few years ago, I was touched by it’s message.  The young child is pushed by his mom to explore activities to enjoy.  He tries quite a few sports, but even with all the right gear and lots of encouragement; he fails.

But, mom never gives up.  She wants him to succeed and wants him to have fulfillment and fun.  She doesn’t know what will inspire him or be the “right fit” for him, so she tries everything she can think of.  Does it harm him to fail?

Failing isn’t harmful.  It could be, if we give up.  But, this mom encourages him to continue his search and his exploration.  And, he finally succeeds at what he discovers!

This speaks to me so much as a homeschool mom.  With my children, they were each encouraged to try many things.  We provided all the necessary equipment and training.  We wanted them to try and explore many activities and see what they were fit to do.  It was always surprising to see what they loved doing and were good at.

Homeschool moms do this with our children’s extracurricular activities as well as their curriculum and learning opportunities.  We take them to sports, chess clubs, dance lessons, debate clubs, and much more.  Children will find what they love and are good at doing.

Sometimes, children love to do a certain thing, but they’re not especially good at it.  That’s fine.  In fact, I believe that it’s good for them to participate in something in which they may fail or not be the best.  Just participating in an activity will teach your children so many things.  Their character will grow stronger as they learn to deal with competition.  No one wins every time.

I always felt like children shouldn’t be allowed to quit, just because they weren’t “no 1”.  As they win or lose, the parents have a great opportunity to teach them through these times.  This is when they really grow.  Don’t prevent them from being in these types of growing experiences.

@2018, copyright Lisa Ehrman